Shadow In The Sky
by Fail Master
Summary: An alchemist's apprentice, Nathan, and a battle tested cleric, Leo, stumble across an dark plot that threatens their thieving town of Riddleport. Nathan finds love in the least likely place he would have ever guessed. Rated for slash, language, blood.
1. Cheat The Devil And Steal His Gold

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Pathfinder franchise, which I will borrowing from heavily during this story, any coincedence from a character to a person in real life is not intentional, etc, etc...

**Claimer: **But I do own sexy!Nathan/Leo and these stories, so you can't have them. ;D

**Warning:** This'll be good 'ol boy on boy fiction, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, plz leave kthxbai. Also there'll be much slaughtering of fat guys, wererats, and bad drow ladies so if violence/death isn't your cup of tea, again, plz leave kthxbai. And heed the fic rating as well. No slashy-type stuff yet, but we'll get to that later. :D

* * *

**Cheat The Devil And Steal His Gold**

_**Chapter 1**_

Nathan Cliftal stared at the building in front of him, the new casino a surprising example of what a few thousand gold pieces can do. From time to time he passed the Gold Goblin on his various trips and deliveries and it had always been run down, empty, and deserted. But the building must have recently been restored, because what was previously in shackles, was now a glittering and vibrant display of distracting colors and swirling patterns.

Today was the gambling's hall opening day, and they had requested a myriad of supplies from the shop in which he worked. Petunia's Potent Potions was his employer's shop whose wares were in high demand, though the quirky name of the business oftentimes drew secretive bouts of laughter from passerby. Nathan had been hired about two years ago when he was sixteen years old, and had slowly made his way up to apprentice alchemist under Petunia Ferall himself. He still enjoyed delivering supplies to other people across the span of the city though, it was a welcome break in his normally otherwise boring day to day routine.

This was the reason Nathan was in front of the bright casino, about to deliver a sack of various remedies and solutions to one of the most well-known crime lords in Riddleport. Saul Vancaskerkin. Yes, he claimed to be 'retired' from his previous line of work and supposedly wanted to earn an honest living, though both Petunia and Nathan did find Vancaskerkin's declarations a bit suspicious.

Shaking his head, Nathan walked up to the back of the short line leading into the casino and waited patiently to enter. _Ferall _did_ say I could stick around for a bit if I managed to get the delivery to Vancaskerkin before sundown._ And judging by the position of the sun just reaching the middle of the sky, he had some free time on his hands. The line slowly moved forward as one customer entered the Gold Goblin, and Nathan let out an impatient sigh. One of the guests in line ahead of him spun around and gave a glare before turning back to stare into the casino once again. An amused grimace broke out on Nathan's face; apparently some people here were just as impatient as he was.

When his turn to enter The Gold Goblin came, Nathan gave his employer's note to the bouncer and the burly man waved him on. Nodding, Nathan tried to conceal his smugness, as he could now deliver the goods to Vancaskerkin, but he also had just gotten inside the establishment free of charge. Just past the main doors, two scantily clad beauties wearing false bat wings, devil horns, and tails played the part of alluring succubi. Nathan quickly concluded that both were employees of the Gold Goblin, since they cheerfully rubbed up against him while emitting small purrs of affection, not to mention everyone and anyone else who entered into the gambling room after him as well.

Beyond the registration setup was the gambling hall's game floor. Dozens of gamblers, waitresses dressed as succubae, and bouncers milled about the room, wandering amidst tables offering various games while dealers shuffled cards, rolled dice, and spun wheels in preparation. Nathan took in the many sights with an excited fervor; this was the first time he had attended an event of this size, much less one in a newly opened casino. As he moved through the throng of game tables and dealers, Nathan spotted a dozen more of the barely clad bat-winged vixens, serving drinks and flirtatiously batting coal-black eyelashes at various customers for tips. Nathan let out a laugh as one such 'succubus' nuzzled up against a larger looking man, causing him to swoon off his chair and fall to the floor.

Turning away from that particular spectacle, Nathan noticed that a short podium was placed in the center of the room, atop which sat a massive gold chest affixed to the floor by similarly gaudy chains. On either side of it stood a bare-chested bouncer in exotic garbs that looked like they came from some foreign sultan's court.

Each man stood with muscled arms crossed over his chest and with a naked scimitar of prodigious size tucked through his waistband. Looking up towards a rattling noise, Nathan saw that high above the burly pair, from the hall's cloth draped ceiling, hung a brass birdcage. Within the metal container crouched a small, bat-winged, pointy-tailed devilish creature that seemed to be sulking as it angrily looked out over the room and its various events. An imp, most likely. But Nathan couldn't think of a rational reason why it could be hanging there. More of Vancaskerkin's tomfoolery, no doubt.

Wanting to get the heavy sack of merchandise off his back, Nathan wandered around the Gold Goblin looked for Vancaskerkin without much luck, until he wearily decided to ask one of the waitresses where he was. Tapping one of the costumed women on the shoulder, he gave a jump as the woman turned around and moved her head in close to his face. Her thick eyelashes fluttered teasingly. "May I help you with something, sir?"

Quickly backing away from the waitress, Nathan let out an embarrassed cough and nodded. "I'd like to know when Mr. Vancaskerkin will be available. I have an order of goods that he requested… and it to be delivered to him tonight."

"Oh, Saul will be busy for a little while more. I should think he's getting ready for his speech."

Eyebrows furrowing in disappointment, Nathan nodded in resignation. He'd have to wait a bit longer to drop off his wares and join in on the various games scattered around the hall. Seconds after the waitress flaunted away to some other corner of the room, a line of employees entered into the central area, carrying torches shaped like pitchforks. Skewered burning heads made of straw and cloths were ablaze on the tridents as the carriers lit several large braziers, giving the hall a more infernal hue.

A hush fell over the crowd, as well as Nathan, the sudden silence betraying a larger event to come. Sure enough, a short, stout man entered out of a back door and began to climb to the central podium, accompanied by two gorgeous succubi, and stopped to stand before the chain-shrouded chest. The man wore a formal suit, and his thinning black hair was slicked back. Nathan's eyes widened as he saw that the man's left arm ended in a stump just above the wrist, and attached to it was a bronze cap from which protruded an oddly shaped key. His brain flared in recognition as Nathan recalled the grinning man as Saul Vancaskerkin, former crime lord of Riddleport.

Vancaskerkin gave a bow before the crowd and cleared his throat loudly before speaking. "Welcome, one and all, to the Gold Goblin Gambling Hall, and your chance to cheat the Devil to win back not only your soul, but all his gold as well!" He said this last as he patted the large chest before which he stood.

"I hope you found your reception by the Devil's lovely temptresses suitably entertaining…" This was met by a general murmur of laughter and a few catcalls, and Nathan himself had to stifle a small chuckle.

Vancaskerkin went on, gesturing up towards the impish looking creature in the birdcage above. "Let's take this moment to thank Old Scratch himself for attending this event. Not only did he loan us these lovely, dark angels, but he also emptied the deepest vaults of Hell itself to provide the gold for this tournament." Looking up, Nathan saw that the imp named Old Scratch was in a fit of rage at all of the sudden attention. The small creature began to bang the against he cage's brass bars, spitting, howling, and screaming at all assembled in some infernal dialect. The crowd around him guffawed at the imp's theatrics and there was even a smattering of applause. Nathan couldn't help laugh along with them, though he did almost feel a bit sorry for the caged creature. The laughter and clapping died down after a few moments, where Vancaskerkin chose to continue with his speech.

"Of course, he plans on replacing what he loses with gold with the souls of those who don't win. The tournament rules are quite simple—as you play, you'll earn more chips. And with those chips, you'll be able to bribe your way out of the current Hell you're trapped in, working your way down deeper until you get to Old Scratch's treasury. These are what the devils use for currency in Hell, and they're what you'll need to pay in order to bribe your way into the next layer of hell. The first one to reach the lowest level keeps his winnings for that game, but also earns back his soul and the ten thousand silver coins that the Devil put up for this tournament. You can, of course, cash out your winnings at any time you want, but if you do, or if you run out of money entirely… well, that means Old Scratch gets you."

Vancaskerkin grinned evilly with an amused glint in his eye while the caged imp cut loose with another profane tirade. "And that earns you the Devil's Mark and an escort out of the game hall until the tournament is over. What, you ask, exactly is the Devil's Mark? Well, it's something too utterly horrible even to contemplate. The forfeiture of your very soul, it is. But I suppose I could show you—gods know I more than deserve it. In fact, better make it two, girls!"

With that, the two succubae accompanying him leaned over an each firmly planted a kiss on Vancaskerkin's cheek with their ruby red lips. When they pulled away, their rouge had left clearly visible prints in the same shocking scarlet on his cheeks. Saul beamed as he cried out, "The Devil's Mark, everyone!" which was met by a flurry of shouts, whistles, and hoots.

"Now, let's cheat the Devil and take his gold!" the cry prompting one more rabid flurry from the imprisoned fiend above, and with that, the crowd quickly split up and moved to the various gambling stations planted around the large room.

Nathan couldn't help letting out a little half smile, the man seemed very charismatic, good at cracking jokes as well. Remembering the heavy pack on his back, he began to stroll towards Vancaskerkin, who had just left the podium and was turning towards one of the back rooms.

Stepping in front of the man, Nathan quickly gave a line he had rehearsed many times. "Mr. Vancaskerkin? …I have a delivery for you from," Nathan winced slightly, "Petunia's Potent Potions."

Vancaskerkin's face light up immediately, and he raised his voice to be heard over the newly started ruckus. "Ah, yes! You must have my special delivery! I hope you have been careful with it, the contents of those bottles are very volatile if handled roughly!" Nathan couldn't get out a word before the other man spoke again. "Yes, you look like a hardworking and responsible boy, so the goods should be fine, correct?" Vancaskerkin smiled at him, but Nathan could see a hidden sharpness behind his glare, as if to say, _Or else…_

Finding that his mouth wasn't working properly, Nathan hastily nodded and Vancaskerkin gave a hearty laugh. "Good, otherwise I might have had to resort to some of my other tactics… ones I gave up a long time ago!" Vancaskerkin elbowed Nathan in the stomach and began his boisterous chuckling again, but he solemnly wondered if the former crimelord was truly joking or not.

"Come, come, I'll show you into my back room so we can discuss payment." Vancaskerkin started to usher Nathan away, but a strange fizzling sound to the right made him stop. One of the brazier's flames was burning brighter than the others, burning white hot while emitting a strange hissing noise.

Vancaskerkin stopped when he realized Nathan wasn't right behind him, and then he too seemed to notice the unusually strong flame. "Boy, did you do something to that fire? Because if you did, you-"

Nathan held a hand up, as the blaze was growing bigger and brighter. A quick look around the room revealed that the same thing was happening to the other braziers scattered around the gaming hall. The hissing reached a high whine and Nathan finally realized just exactly what was happening. Magic, the dangerous kind. Closing his eyes, he shouted as loud as he could over the din. "Everyone! Shut your eyes, and whatever you do, don't look at the light!"

The inside of Nathan's eyelids turned a bright red as a series of resounding cracks and bangs echoed throughout the building, mixing in with the emerging cacophony of terrified screams. When they stopped after a few moments, Nathan opened his eyes warily, taking in the shocking scene before him.

Beside him, Vancaskerkin lay on the ground, hands over his head and eyes screwed shut. It seemed that he was the only one who had heard his advice as the guests, waitresses and bouncers all were clutching their faces and screaming in horror that they could not see. _Just as I thought, a pyrotechnics spell. Lucky I've seen Petunia cast one of those before... but why would someone set one off now!?__  
_  
But… there were a few who weren't running blindly towards the exits, a few not crashing into each other as they wildly fled from the building. A single pair stood in the middle of the chaos, and behind them stood four dirty and ugly looking men. One member of the pair was a woman with long, curly, black hair and a devious looking expression on her face. She wore an outfit covered in cured leather, the tight fitting hide complimenting her... full figure, Nathan noticed with a slight blush. Next to her stood a tall man draped in a flowing olive green robe, his pious looking face and long, groomed black hair making him seem very refined. _In a creepy sort of way._

The large room was just about empty then; all the patrons seemed to have escaped in the panic. It looked as if the employees deemed the situation dangerous enough to leave as well. Though, there was one other man, Nathan noticed, crouched behind one of the gaming tables. From this distance Nathan couldn't tell much about him, but he did notice the stranger point at the group and making a slicing motion across his throat. _What is he… wait… he wants me to attack them? ...why would he think I would do that? _

_Another urgent slicing motion from the other man caused Nathan to shake his head in refusal. __Especially__ on command from a total stranger. Who does he think he is?! _

Putting on a shaky, but bright, smile Nathan gently placed his bag on the floor next to the cowering Vancaskerkin, and began to walk over to the cluster of poeple, hands outspread in a gesture of peace. "I see you know how to make an entrance. How about we-"

Nathan was cut off abruptly as the woman reached down and pulled a crossbow from the back of her belt. "The hell we do know how to make an entrance. Angvar, I'll take care of these two fools. You get the chest."

The sophisticated looking man nodded and game a little smirk, "I'm already on it, Thuvalia. Don't take _too_ long, the authorities will be here soon." He broke off and began to move towards the the prize chest resting near the podium, two of the thugs in tow. _So that's what they're after... I'm not surprised, with this event being advertised so much in a city of thieves like this.__  
_  
A shout from the other woman broke Nathan's train of thoughts. "Hey! You! Keep your attention on me, kid, not him." Nathan turned back to Thuvalia to find that she had lifted her crossbow into the air, and was now pointing the deadly weapon directly at his head. "Because he's not going to be the one who's gonna kill you."


	2. The Gold Goblin Job

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Pathfinder franchise, which I will borrowing from heavily during this story, any coincedence from a character to a person in real life is not intentional, etc, etc...

**Claimer: **But I do own sexy!Aesur/Firon and these stories, so you can't have them. ;D

**Warning:** This'll be good 'ol boy on boy fiction, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, plz leave kthxbai. Also there'll be much slaughtering of gremlins, dog people, and desert baddies so if violence/death isn't your cup of tea, again, plz leave kthxbai. And heed the fic rating as well. No slashy-type stuff yet, but we'll get to that later. :D

* * *

**Suspicion**

**_Chapter 2_**

I take a step backwards in shock. Kill me? Would she really order someone to do that? As Garavel begins a steady gait in my direction, the answer quickly becomes apparent. I open my mouth to try and stop him, but nothing comes out. Years upon years of staying silent unless ordered hasn't helped my social skills very much.

Panicking, I raise my hands out in front of me for defense. A split second later I realize I should have drawn my bow and arrow, but Garavel now is too close for that.

A clear, deep voice rings throughout the clearing, stopping the woman's servant in his tracks. "Almah, I think we should hear this guy out. Who knows, if he didn't do it, maybe he has the knowledge of who did." It was the man in the navy and silver robes, his face looking at me expectantly to answer.

Understanding his tactic, I quickly nodded. "Yes, I could help find the culprit. Er... if you need my services. I mean, if you want..." Never a person having a way with words, I closed my mouth before I said something that might change Almah's mind.

The woman took a moment. Ages seemed to pass. Then she slowly nodded. "Fine, Firon. But I'm not taking care of him. He's your responsibility now. Don't come crying to me when he's gone and you have a dagger buried in between your shoulderblades."

The robed man, Firon, laughed loudly. "Don't worry Almah, I can take care of myself. Otherwise you wouldn't have hired me, right?"

His words sent a chill down my spine. So apparently this Firon was dangerous. Not that it would matter, I wasn't going to try and run away anytime soon. Even with my skills of living in the wilderness I wasn't crazy enough to leave the promise of company in these wastes.

"Hmph. I suppose so." Almah's gaze was sharp, and I have the distinct impression that she dislikes me. Which is ridiculous, since I technically haven't even done anything wrong. She'll see that there isn't anything to worry about eventually.

Then the woman speaks again. "Garavel. I'd like you to investigate as to whom exactly started this fire. And you too, Firon, you arrived just as the fire started, so you're not the culprit." He nods.

Almah's eyes pass over me, lingering for a moment before flicking back to the cleric. "And take him with you. Don't want him sowing seeds of suspicion in the other members of this caravan."

Anger flares up inside of me. "B-but... I didn't set the wagon on fire! ...I wasn't even here when it started!"

Garavel coughs and says, "Well, young man, I never saw you until after the blaze was put out. You could have easily slipped into the camp, lit the wagon, then hid until now."

I give an exasperated sigh, and rack my mind of who could have done the crime. My gaze drifts over Almah, then Garavel, Firon, the wagon where Zastoran was in… and…

There he is. That scraggly looking man behind the tree, looking at us with such scornful eyes. "Um, Almah, I think he might have done it..." I point my finger at the figure, my voice wavering with trepidation. The man quickly straightens up, clearly not aware that anyone could notice him, and his face swiftly transforms into one of fear.

Garavel smirks, and Almah only laughs. "Him? Dashki? He's our gnoll expert, and despite his appearances… I doubt he'd try something like this."

Firon however, looks thoughtful. It looks like he doesn't quite believe Almah. I can't help feeling happy that there's someone present that doesn't blindly follow the apparent leader of the caravan's opinion.

I rack my mind, trying to remember information about gnolls. All I can come up with are images of hyena-headed creatures with sharp teeth and blood running down their muzzles. Wouldn't someone who calls themselves an expert on those savage beasts be capable of such a wicked act?

As if on cue, Dashki runs up to the group of us, a look of frantic worry on his face. "I did not set the fire, I was not even near it when it began to burn!"

Then it's Garavel's turn to speak. "So then, where were you when the fire started?"

"I- uh- I was finishing up my dinner by the campsite, when I saw the wagon go up. I ran over to the water barrel and helped put it out. I swear it!" Dashki's eyes are panicked, and I find myself feeling a little sorry for the man.

Almah shakes her head. "I see. This man here says you may have done it. What do you say to that?" Immediately I regret pointing my finger in his direction, in order to save myself from a most likely brutal fate.

Dashki shakes his head violently in refusal, his long black hair whipping around in the air. "No! I had nothing to do with the fire! How do we even know the fire was set on purpose? That idiot burned a hundred candles in his wagon. Perhaps he just got unlucky. We're in gnoll country, so it was probably pugwampis."

Firon took a step forward, livid anger lining his features. "He was no idiot, and you better have more respect for those who have departed from this world, Dashki. Or else." I'm surprised by his sudden anger. Perhaps he had been a friend of this Eloais.

The gnoll expert glared at the navy-robed man, and his fury was almost palpable. "Or else what, stargazer? Will you send a swarm of butterflies after me?" Understanding dawns on me. The robed man must be a cleric of Desna, the goddess of luck, stars, and travel. Her sacred symbol is a silver butterfly, and to use it in offense is particularly insulting.

First shock, then pure rage transforms Firon's striking features. "I'll personally make sure that you-"

Before I know what's happening, I find myself standing between the pair, arms outstretched. I don't like the fighting. And it's most definitely not what we need to be focusing on at the moment. "Stop it. Please. You said something about pugwampis Dashki... what are those?" Hopefully, with a change of subject, this particular fire will die out before it causes any damage.

Dashki's expression is grateful, and he plunges into a detailed description. "Terrible critters who crawled up from below the earth long ago. 'Jackal rats' some folks call them, on account of their pointed little heads. They worship gnolls as gods and infest their communities like rats. Wherever pugwampis go, bad luck is sure to follow. The gnolls hate the pugwampis because of this, and try to kill them all the time. But they always come back. Perhaps their bad luck caused the fortune-man's candles to start a fire? Yes. Pugwampis. I'm certain it was because of pugwampis."

Almah looks intrigued. "A pugwampi? Never heard of it before." Garavel shakes his head as well, appearing to be a bit interested. "Neither have I. But Dashki is our gnoll expert, and if he says they are real, then…"

Firon interjects his opinion into the conversation. "Or he could be making all of this up in order to lead us off his trail." It seems that the sting of Dashki's previous insult hasn't worn off quite yet.

I quickly realize that time is running out. If it was indeed one of these pugwampis, then it must be running away this very moment. "I don't think... it's Dashki's trail that we need to be worrying about. Do the pugwampi leave footprints behind?"

The gnoll expert nods in affirmation. Excellent, just what I needed to hear.

"I'm pretty good at tracking. I can go out and find the little monster for you... if it's alright, Almah."

Firon looks at me, his face unreadable. "Or you might not find it and everything just gets a lot more confusing." Gods, this man dislikes the thought of following Dashki's plan. Perhaps he thinks that he could come up with a better one.

Almah throws her hands up into the air and shouts loudly, "Just go! Bring me back proof of this pugwampi beast and I'll forget about this little incident. But if you come back empty handed…" The woman trails off, her eyes cold. I receive the message loud and clear. Find a pugwampi, otherwise Dashki and I are in trouble. Big trouble.

With an almost regal twist of her figure, Almah turns away and stalks off to an elaborately cowled wagon, draped in pink silks. Garavel follows, even as the woman enters the cart and into her private quarters. I raise an eyebrow at Firon, but he shakes his head. "No, it's not what you think. Garavel is only her loyal servant. There is nothing romantic about their relationship. Believe me, I've been traveling with this group for quite some time, and there isn't anything going on worth taking note of."

I feel a bit ashamed at thinking the worst. But it was a rational assumption of course. Right? No matter, I need to concentrate on the task at hand now.

The gnoll expert begins to slink away, but I catch him before he gets too far. "Dashki... You know about these pugwampi creatures better than anyone. I'd... I'd like it if you came with me and Firon." The man looks a bit surprised, perhaps at being spoken to in such a kind fashion. I'm starting to get the sense that not everyone is particularly pleasant to the scraggly man.

"I… I will show you what the tracks look like. And where they might be hiding. But I won't get near those tiny demons. I've seen enough of those for a lifetime." The knoll expert's face is serious. I wonder if the story about these creatures' unluckiness is truly real.

"Right. These 'unlucky tiny demons.' I'm shaking in my boots." I have a second to see Firon's frustrated expression before he turns around and stomps off.

Dashki looks depressed, and I definitely feel bad for him. "Just... ignore what he's saying. I believe you Dashki. So what he thinks doesn't matter."

The gnoll expert's face brightens, and then lessens once again. "Yes. But he must not underestimate the pugwampis, they are more troublesome than you know."

My head shakes in agreement; I tend not to like to underestimate problems anyways. With a nervous laugh I replicate what Firon had said previously about me. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to keep an eye on him."

Dashki only gives me a blank stare, and retreats back to his wagon, disappearing from view. An exasperated sigh escapes my lungs; looks like things weren't running as smoothly in the caravan as they had first appeared to be.


	3. Holy Rewards

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Pathfinder franchise, which I will borrowing from heavily during this story, any coincedence from a character to a person in real life is not intentional, etc, etc...

**Claimer: **But I do own sexy!Nathan/Leo and these stories, so you can't have them. ;D

**Warning:** This'll be good 'ol boy on boy fiction, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, plz leave kthxbai. Also there'll be much slaughtering of fat guys, wererats, and bad drow ladies so if violence/death isn't your cup of tea, again, plz leave kthxbai. And heed the fic rating as well. No slashy-type stuff yet, but we'll get to that later. :D

* * *

**Holy Rewards**

_**Chapter 3**_

Nathan was sitting on one of the game tables, watching as Leo dragged the bodies into a pile. He _was _slightly surprised that the law-upholding gendarmes hadn't arrived yet to see what all the commotion was about, but then again, they were in the city of Riddleport. Nathan grimaced when Leo swore loudly; an arm had fallen off one of the more gooey looking thugs. One that Nathan had killed. _Killed. _Melted actually, to be precise. He knew that he had to have fought back, unless he was to be killed instead. But it didn't mean that Nathan had to be okay with it.

With a final sounding thump, Leo heaved Angvar onto the top of the pile, turning to Nathan and brushing his hands off of each other in satisfaction. "That should do it."

Nathan was about to speak up when his vision unexpectedly began to swim, a wave of dizziness sweeping over him. Confused and unable to keep his bearings, he fell off the game table and onto the wooden floor. Pain rocketed through his head as it hit the ground, and all the hurts and injuries he had sustained during the battle slowly drifted back to him. Nathan's vision cleared a bit, and he saw Leo kneeling over him with a worried look on his face. "What happened?!"

Closing his eyes, Nathan fought back another surge of vertigo and shrugged, only to have his shoulder scream out in response. Turning his head to look downwards at it, Nathan's eyes widened in surprise at the amount of blood that was flowing out of the wound. _Perhaps it wasn't as much of a graze as I thought..._

"I think- I think it's my shoulder. That woman shot at me... I guess I didn't realize… the wound, I thought it was just a glancing hit."

Leo bent over to look at the gash and shook his head in affirmation. "It _was_ a light blow, but she hit a large vein close to the surface of your skin. The adrenaline probably masked most of the pain, but it's wearing off now. You should have told me earlier, I could have easily fixed this before you lost this much blood."

"Sorry, it, uh, didn't hurt as much before. Though... how could I have missed," Nathan gestured his uninjured arm at the liquid pooling around him, "all this?"

"I have no idea. Maybe the thing that gave you that bump on your head knocked a few things loose." Nathan scowled at the man, but Leo just laughed.

As the other knelt down to get closer to the wound, Nathan realized something he hadn't before. "How are you going to mend it? I don't see any bandages on you."

Leo grinned in response. "Oh? You haven't noticed yet?" He gave a deep, throaty laugh. "I'm just gonna have to show you then."

Placing his hands just above the freely bleeding wound, Leo bowed his head and began muttering quietly, in an almost musical tone. When the he leaned forward, a golden hued medallion fell from underneath the other man's shirt, the chain jingling softly. The symbol was in the shape of a mug, the kind seen in taverns, and it was obviously very elegantly crafted. Something clicked within Nathan's brain, and his apprehension disappeared. _Of course._

The hands hovering over his wound began to glow with a soft, auburn hued light. The light was faint at first, but it grew more intense as Leo continued to speak quickly and quietly. Nathan's shoulder gave a slight spasm, and he gritted his teeth together as the torn sinew and tissue knit themselves back together. He could feel a warm presence pulsing throughout his body, calming him, relaxing his taught muscles. The blood flow stopped early on, but a minute or two was needed until his flesh was as good as new. Leo stopped talking, the ginger colored luminescence fading away as well, and looked towards Nathan with a satisfactory look in his eyes.

Sitting up slowly, Nathan worked his previously wounded shoulder around and around, and was surprised to notice that along with his largest injury; most of the small bruises and scrapes that had covered his body were absent as well. He looked up at Leo, thankfulness clearly written across his stunned features. "I... you... you're a cleric?"

Leo chuckled and put his hands up in the air with a sheepish smile. "Guilty as charged. You seem surprised." A playful glint flashed through his eyes, "And you're welcome by the way."

Nathan fought back an embarrassed flush; he had forgotten to thank him, both for healing his wound and his help during the struggle. "Oh, I'm sorry! I- uh- thank you Leo …I think this is the second time you've saved my life."

Leo watched as Nathan warily stood up, and with a raised eyebrow and a poorly hid grin, he replied. "No worries, I was just joking around. Really, I'm just glad I could help."

"Still… I think-" A groan and a loud shout interrupted Nathan's reply and the pair twirled around to face the source of the noise. Vancaskerkin popped up from behind the game table, which Nathan could now see had half a dozen crude axes embedded deep into the velvety exterior. Looking around with wide eyes, realization of what had transpired most likely dawning upon the middle-aged man; Vancaskerkin finally seemed to notice Nathan and Leo. And the pile of bodies not too far from them.

Running towards the pair, seemingly unperturbed by the mound of corpses, Vancaskerkin grasped Nathan's hand and began shaking it wildly. "You! It appears as though fate has guided you to deliver me that package today, so you could protect my property and me! I can't thank you enough!" The former crimelord let out an exasperated laugh before he seemed to notice Leo for the first time. "And who is this?"

"Leo Haywold, cleric of Cayden Cailean, at your service, sir." He took an over extravagant bow that forced Nathan to stifle a chuckle, which was returned with an equally over exaggerated wink.

Nathan took a step forward, and gestured at Leo. "Mr. Vancaskerkin, sir, if it weren't for him, I'd… well… be dead on the floor. You probably would have died too." He hadn't meant to come off sounding somber, but he had to get his point across that Leo had been the pivotal force in the battle, not himself.

With new respect, Vancaskerkin turned to Leo and nodded, holding out a hand for him to shake. "I see. I think it's appropriate that you receive some thanks as well. Leo, …and?" Embarrassment flashed across the older man's features as he turned to the apprentice alchemist. "I don't believe I caught your name yet, boy."

Leo reached out and vigorously shook Vancaskerkin's hand, and afterwards Nathan shyly put his own hand out as well. "I'm Nathan Clifton, sir."

Vancaskerkin shook Nathan's hand and nodded, his face now set and serious looking. "Well then, Nathan, Leo. I'd say that I owe you big, and as you probably have heard, I'm not very keen on being in debt these days as much as I was in my younger years. I want to repay you, and I think I have the perfect idea."

A thoughtful expression crossed Vancaskerkin's features. "First, Nathan, I think you deserve a certain reward." Quickly, the former crimelord walked over to the sack of vials lying beside the overturned game table he had previously been using as a source of shelter. Vancaskerkin picked the bag up, and returned to Nathan, holding out the bag to him to take. "For you."

Nathan eyed the bag warily, not quite ready to accept such an expensive, and dangerous, gift. "But... this was the reason why I came here. To give this to you. You… well, you bought it."

"And now I'm giving it back. What? Won't you accept a token of my appreciation?"

Warily, he grasped the bag and slung it over his shoulder. The collection of flasks really wasn't that heavy, but he did feel a bit more formidable with it slung over his shoulder. Not to mention he had been feeling a bit inadequate with Leo and his pair of blades, alongside Vancaskerkin and the daggers that adorned his belt. _Still... why would he have wanted a bag full of acid flasks? And why did he give them back so quickly after receiving them? _

His thoughts were interrupted as Vancaskerkin moved to the chest on the middle of the room, obviously checking to see if it was still okay. "Yes... yes... oh, this is a relief. For a second I thought those brutes had spirited away some of the prize money." The former crimelord reached under the table and apparently pressed a hidden latch or switch, as the chains fell away and the ever-gaudy looking container was freed. Vancaskerkin picked it up and vanished into one of the back rooms.

Leo turned around. "You know, it surprises me how fast that guy can waddle around, considering his somewhat... _short_ stature." A pause. "And whatever happened to our reward?"

"Oh, that's right… You haven't received one yet. Um, well, maybe he forgot about you?..." Nathan lightheartedly replied, snickering as Leo took a swipe at him and missed. Nathan surprised himself, he usually didn't joke very often, and especially not so much after such a macabre turn of events. He stared at the cleric, a bit mystified. Nathan had always been shy; he had been all his life. And he was especially shy in front of strangers. But these two people had him talking more in an hour more than he usually did in an entire day. Nathan liked it, it was a nice feeling.

Vancaskerkin came bustling out from the back room, arms open wide and a smile plastered on his aging face. "Now, with that taken care of, I ask of you to stay for awhile to discuss... the recent events over drinks."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "And the rewards."

Vancaskerkin gave a chuckle. "Yes, and the rewards."

The cleric shot a triumphant glance towards Nathan, and then turned back to the former crimelord. "Then yes, I'd be happy to join you for a drink or two."

Feeling two pairs of expectant eyes rest on him, Nathan resigned with a sigh. "Sure. I'm guessing Petunia won't want to call me back for today after he heard what happened. I might even get a few days off." Although he wasn't too keen on staying with Vancaskerkin, the man _was_ friendly enough. Though… one couldn't bury their past and be done with it so easily. Especially if it was as dirty and soiled as Vancaskerkin's was. He'd be careful.

Vancaskerkin clapped his hands together loudly, and gestured to a wooden door on the far right of the room. "Fantastic! Through here then, and up the stairs." As the trio walked over to step through the wooden threshold and move to the upper floor, Nathan couldn't help but notice an odd feeling settling over him, one that seemed to say: things aren't going to end this simply.


	4. An Offer You Can't Refuse

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Pathfinder franchise, which I will borrowing from heavily during this story, any coincedence from a character to a person in real life is not intentional, etc, etc...

**Claimer: **But I do own sexy!Nathan/Leo and these stories, so you can't have them. ;D

**Warning:** This'll be good 'ol boy on boy fiction, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, plz leave kthxbai. Also there'll be much slaughtering of fat guys, wererats, and bad drow ladies so if violence/death isn't your cup of tea, again, plz leave kthxbai. And heed the fic rating as well. Slashy-stuff starting! :D

* * *

**An Offer You Can't Refuse**

_**Chapter 4**_

The sharp scent of aged wine drifted up to Nathan's nose as he took a sip of an exceptionally good brand of the substance. He wasn't surprised; Vancaskerkin had seemed to be a wealthy man.

They were led up to a dining room, the hall long and impressive with an equally long and impressive mahogany dining table placed in the middle of the room. Wondrously crafted chairs were placed around the table, and the setting sun seen through a set of gaping windows set an orangish cast to everything the light touched. Nathan was seated beside Leo on one side of the table, while Vancaskerkin was seated on the other.

They had been very graciously served a small dinner, where Vancaskerkin had apologized for being a hindrance in the battle, to which Nathan had quietly but vehemently protested, and questioned the pair on what exactly had happened while he was passed out. Soon after, the sound of steel clanking against steel could faintly be heard, along with a series of bumps from below. Apparently the gendarmes had arrived to cart off the bodies. Just thinking about Thuvalia and her lackeys caused a small pang of guilt to blossom within Nathan's chest.

Vancaskerkin didn't seem to have any qualms about the robbery; he even acted as if it was a normal occurrence. Though, considering the former crimelord's past, it wasn't hard to believe. The man was now relaxed, contently sipping his wine every few moments. _I suppose I really __didn't__ have anything to worry about coming up here._

After a just minute more of comfortable silence, Vancaskerkin began. "Well. I guess we best get down to business, eh?" As if on command, two commonly dressed workers stepped in, and walked over to the fireplace, placing a few logs of wood inside the small alcove and lighting the pieces of fuel. They walked out, eerily silent. Nathan had the feeling Vancaskerkin was trying to impress his new guests. Leo looked over at the fire, an amused smirk on his face.

"Hearing you speak about how you stopped those undesirables in their tracks, and how you drove them off as quick as any gendarme warms my old heart. I had thought that heroic acts were long gone in Riddleport, and I can't say how overjoyed I am to be proven wrong."

Leo nodded. "I agree with you. Riddleport definitely isn't recognized for its shining examples of gallantry and prose."

"I suppose it's not," said Vancaskerkin with a chuckle. "Which makes it exceptionally rare to see two young people with such high moral standards and a willingness to do what's right."

Nathan felt a bit uneasy at this comment. He had only jumped Thuvalia on a chance thought, and yes, the urge had steered his fate in the right direction. But he still didn't intentially mean to do such a brave act.

"Valentia, Larur? Bring in the goods." Seconds after he spoke, a woman with long red hair and a short-statured dwarf strode in, each holding a burlap sack bulging with items. When the pair reached the table, they each dumped out the contents of the bag in turn, pausing only to scoop the objects into a pile, and then left the room.

Laid out in front of Nathan and Leo were an range of myriad objects. There was a piece of twisted wood that looked much like a wand, an assortment of golden coins, and two familiar long, curvular steel bracers. It took just a second to look over the money and count how many coins were present; there were approximately fifty of them. The wand looked interesting, but Nathan really didn't know much about magic himself; he had no clue what it was for. The bracers were sturdy looking and shone with a bright sheen, still tugging at some part of Nathan's memory.

He didn't have to wonder long, as Leo pointed to the wrist armor and said slowly, "Those are Angvar's, aren't they? He was wearing them when I fought him." Nathan nodded as he remembered, _Yeah, the spellcaster was wearing these. But that means..._

"You took these?" The words were out of his mouth before he had even meant to speak.

Vancaskerkin looked at him in an odd way, as if he was a child who had failed to grasp the obvious. "Yes, I took them. Though the owners were common criminals and as you already know, dead. If you look at the big picture of things, it really doesn't matter at all that you have them now." Nathan nodded, as he did understand the other's reasoning, but it still didn't stamp out the small feeling of weightiness lodged in his gut.

The three of them didn't move for a time, and after a few more moments, Vancaskerkin shouted indignantly, "For god's sake, just take them already!"

He hadn't wanted to take one of the items first; Leo deserved them much more than he did. But it seemed the cleric was able to be polite as well. Hesitantly, Leo leaned forward. "I'll take the bracers; I doubt you'd use them as much as I would." The apprentice alchemist nodded, that was reasonable enough.

"And I'll take half the gold?" Leo looked to Nathan questioningly.

"Go ahead. I'll take this... wand? And the other half of the gold." He reached out his arms and scooped his share of the loot to his side, Leo doing the same.

Vancaskerkin looked at the two with a grin plastered across his face. "Good, good. Now, I want to divulge to you the real reason why I brought you two up here. Before we came upstairs, I took another look at those cronies, and discovered something quite... surprising." He paused for a moment, perhaps a failed attempt at creating suspense.

"I recognized those two, since I've seen them hanging around with a bunch of street toughs that have been loitering around the casino before." Nathan was still, waiting for the importance of this revelation. _There are plenty of street gangs in the city, always have been, always will._

"But. That group I've been noticing has been contracting out to most of the other crimelords in the city, as I've seen henchmen from a whole host of... business owners I used to know mingling with them." This gave Nathan a start, and Leo as well judging from the surprised expression on the cleric's face. "I've been considering throwing myself at the mercy of the crimelord I used to be close with, who's known as," he hesitated, "Clegg Zincher, for protection. But I truly am loathe to re-enter that shady world."

Nathan sat back in his chair, finally understanding the man's unease. Leo placed a hand on the table and leaned forward slightly. "So, you think that those guys that are being carted away downstairs; that they were sent here... on purpose by one of the crimelords running this city?"

Nathan glanced toward Vancaskerkin, a worried expression on his face. "If so, well… the implications are very serious. You are a former crimelord afterall." He didn't fail to notice the older man's flinch at his words.

Vancaskerkin nodded to Nathan and Leo, a knowing gleam in his eye. "Then you two obviously understand the predicament I'm in. And quite honestly, I'm impressed with your abilities. I think you are _just_ the folks who can turn around my fortunes. I'd like to offer you a job."

Nathan's eyes widened; and he heard a surprised sound come from Leo beside him. _A... job? _

"Yes, I'd like to offer both of you a job as specialists and junior partners of the Gold Goblin staff. You'd work directly for me and assist me in the day-to-day running of this establishment, serving either as a dealer, a bouncer, a croupier, or a greeter depending your preferences. Of course, these roles would only be covers for the real work you'd be doing for me, such as serving as my bodyguards, messengers, and consultants."

"How much would we be paid?" Nathan looked over at Leo, who had spoken. He seemed to be animated enough, the excitement shining on the cleric's face.

"Oh, you'd receive a regular salary of ten gold pieces a week, as well as a cut of the Gold Goblin's weekly profits... so, what do you say? Up for the challenge?"

The cleric spoke immediately. "I'm in." His face was set and determined, very different from his constant cheerful demeanor.

Nathan's eyebrows furrowed to a point, torn between agreeing with Leo or slowly backing out. On one hand, he was apprenticed to an alchemist already, and he still wasn't quite sure about Vancaskerkin. _Though... the pay is so high, and it would seem rude to refuse his offer after accepting those gifts._ _Not to mention Leo already went ahead and agreed to the deal._

His mind moved to focus on the fight that had happened only hours before. _I was so terrified the entire time, but... it made me feel different. There was that rush of terror, but there was excitement mixed in, no matter how hard I try to ignore it..._

_Do I want to forget that feeling? _Nathan took a deep breath, and steeled his downward gaze.

"I'll accept as well." Leo beamed at Nathan, working an amused grin out of the apprentice alchemist. _This guy's kind of like an excited dog sometimes..._

Vancaskerkin leaned forward, and clasped both of them on the shoulders. "Great! I'll have to show you around the gambling hall tomorrow, so you better be well rested for the grand tour! I'll show you to your rooms."

"Our rooms? I have a room back at the potion shop with all my things." Nathan wasn't expecting boarding when he had agreed to the deal.

"Well, of course you'll have to sleep in the Gold Goblin. What if some crook sneaks in during the middle of the night?" Vancaskerkin raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

Nathan felt somewhat stupid. "Oh. I suppose I hadn't thought of that."

The three of stood up and moved to the door, but not before Nathan and Leo gathered their things into some sacks. Nathan was careful not to put any of his newly gained 'loot' into the bag carrying the vials of acid; instead he placed the wand and gold into a small pouch on his belt.

Vancaskerkin walked through the doorway and out into the hall first, but Nathan moved towards the opening at the same time as Leo. The two bumped into each other, and the sudden contact against the cleric's side sent Nathan stumbling backwards.

"Oops, sorry about that. You can go first." Leo made a hand gesture out to the hallway. Nathan walked out into the corridor, closely followed by the cleric who moved to shut the door behind them.

For some unfathomable reason, his stomach felt a bit weird, like something was wrenching it from the inside out. Under normal circumstances, Nathan would have worried something was wrong with him, but as he watched Leo close the door, he thought he almost… liked the feeling. _Just forget about it._

Vancaskerkin led them through a maze of hallways, and eventually stopped short in front of two doors, side by side. "These rooms will be your living quarters. Nathan, your room is on the left and Leo, your room is on the right. Get some sleep, and report back to me by midday tomorrow."

They both nodded. "Good, I'll be seeing you two in the morning." The short man padded away, turned a corner, and was gone.

"Crazy day, huh?" Nathan turned to see Leo looking expectantly at him with a smirk playing across his face.

"Yes, it really was… when I woke up this morning, I didn't think of finding myself here at the end of the day."

The cleric chuckled. "Me neither. But, aren't you glad you're here now?"

Nathan frowned; he was caught off guard by Leo's question. "Well... I guess I am."

The other man broke out into a wide grin. "Good, 'cause I feel the same. See you in the morning, Nathan." And with that, Leo headed into his room.

Slowly turning around to open his door, Nathan began to feel hints of emptiness creep over him, a certain faint loneliness after the cleric had left. He shook his head in exasperation; Nathan hadn't even known the guy for a day. He'd learned his lesson about befriending people before, Nathan wouldn't make the same mistakes again.

The apprentice alchemist opened the door and moved into the bedroom, placing the bag of vials gingerly down beside the door along with the sack full of recently gained valuables. In a quick scout of the room, he found a comfy looking bed, a small alcove near the far corner of the room used for personal hygiene, and a mahogany table with four elegant chairs situated around the circular surface. The floorboards were a polished maroon color, and the walls were a soft shade of goldenrod. An image of when Leo's hands were glowing approximately that color appeared in his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. It really wasn't even the same shade of orange anyways.

Running a tired hand through his hair and sighing, Nathan kicked off his boots and climbed into bed, pulling the covers over his head to immerse himself in the growing darkness creeping in from the windows. Nathan's life had changed so much in one day, and he was a bit afraid to find out whether it was for good or for worse. It took several minutes for his spinning mind to calm down, but once it did, sleep took him almost immediately and he fell into a peaceful slumber.


	5. Unfriendly Warnings

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Pathfinder franchise, which I will borrowing from heavily during this story, any coincedence from a character to a person in real life is not intentional, etc, etc...

**Claimer: **But I do own sexy!Nathan/Leo and these stories, so you can't have them. ;D

**Warning:** This'll be good 'ol boy on boy fiction, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, plz leave kthxbai. Also there'll be much slaughtering of fat guys, wererats, and bad drow ladies so if violence/death isn't your cup of tea, again, plz leave kthxbai. And heed the fic rating as well. Slashy-stuff starting! :D

* * *

**Unfriendly Warnings**

_**Chapter 5**_

Nathan wiped the sweat off his brow as he laboriously climbed back up the ornate stairs leading into the Gold Goblin. He had never experienced a day this hot before in his entire life. On his way back from Petunia's Potent Potions, Nathan had heard many people complaining and muttering about the incredibly searing temperatures outside. Apparently the Cyphermages up in their tower of research overlooking the city were all up in a tither about the issue as well.

He had traveled to his master's shop to tell Petunia about the recent events that had transpired. At first the woman was a little hesitant to believe his wild tale. Looking back now, Nathan wasn't surprised. Petunia wouldn't expect a quiet, shy man like himself to have killed three people and end up being hired by a former crimelord because of it.

But after he insisted over and over that the story was true, she eventually gave in. Petunia said she knew Nathan never had lied to her since the start of his apprenticeship, which was true. She then decided to add that if he was going to start lying to her now, he was smart enough to come up with a better fib than this.

Petunia was at first apprehensive about letting him go and work at the Gold Goblin under Vancaskerkin, with him being a former crimelord coming from a shady past, paired with the problem of Nathan himself losing time to work at his craft. But Nathan managed to convince her that the man wasn't dangerous, recounting back to her Vancaskerkin's less than brave actions during the fight against the robbers.

After a few ideas tossed back and forth, they eventually agreed on Nathan giving her a small share of his profits, and him working on his lessons during the weekends. Petunia knew the value of a couple of extra gold pieces in her pocket, and as soon as their exchange was over she shooed him off. But of course, only after giving Nathan a hearty breakfast, words of good luck, and an order to work hard for his new employer.

As Nathan entered the Gold Goblin, a blast of cold air hit him full on in the face, feeling surprisingly good on his overbaked skin. The mages up in the city's tower had drawn a shaky conclusion that the heat was being generated by some kind of magical disturbance above the city. It wasn't dangerous; it just had the unfortunate effect of making the air in and five miles around the city swelteringly hot.

Nathan guessed it was an accidental result of one of the Cyphermages' experiments on the Cyphergate, the huge, stone arch that loomed over the port entrance of the city. The structure had been there ever since the town was founded by a few choice rascals and scallywags, and most of the townsfolk living in Riddleport agreed with one another that it would remain there for thousands of years to come.

Without giving notice to anyone at the Gold Goblin, Nathan had left for Petunia's Potent Potions early in the morning. He hadn't wanted to cause any unnecessary trouble, and also wanted to avoid social confrontation with any of the other workers at the Gold Goblin. And sure enough, no one was there to stop him as he left the establishment at sunrise.

It seemed that everyone was up and working though at this time of day, dealers milling about and sultry waitresses hanging around the corners of the casino, giggling and whispering to one another in hushed voices. The robbery obviously hadn't given Vancaskerkin any pause in regards to getting on with business as usual. Starting to feel a bit nervous around all the strange people, Nathan's eyes skimmed the room until they rested on a welcome and familiar sight.

Leo was leaning up against one of the game tables and talking animatedly to a stout, short man. The small man had a bald head and a long, richly brown beard, his figure sturdy and robust. _Is that… is that a dwarf?!_

Not many dwarves were to be seen in Riddleport, as most preferred to stay in their underground city far to the east. The one in front of Nathan had on a plain, brown shirt and matching pants, but around his neck and trailing down his back was an elegantly crafted, green cape. As the stout figure turned and shifted, the cape shimmered, the sheen dancing around and impossibly hard for Nathan's eyes to follow. It was enchanted most likely, an item imbued with magical properties.

Laughing loudly at some joke, Leo's head happened to turn in Nathan's general direction. A grin lighting up over his stubble covered jaw, the cleric put his hands to either side of his mouth and yelled loudly, "Nathan! Come over here, I have someone for you to meet!"

Slightly embarrassed and feeling quite tiny as a result of the number of eyes on him, brought upon by Leo's shout, the apprentice alchemist quickly strolled over to the pair. The people around him quickly lost interest and slowly went back to their chatter.

Leo gestured excitedly towards the short man as he approached. "This is Larur Feldin, dwarf and the head of floor staff for the Gold Goblin."

At Nathan's blank look, Leo raised his eyebrows and tried again. "Nathan, he's our manager."

A vision of seeing the dwarf filling up the fireplace with wood alongside the girl Valentia flashed through Nathan's eyes. Suddenly thrust under the authority of the man's status, Nathan coughed and took a shaky bow.

"Oh! I- uh- it's… nice to meet you, sir." At this height he could see the dwarf clearly, able to see the lines of stress and experience layered across his manager's weathered face.

Larur laughed and grabbed Nathan by the shoulders. "No need for formalities, lad. I like t' know my workers personally, it helps make things easier if 'n when problems come about." Nathan refrained from asking what these 'problems' were.

Rising from his bow, Nathan gave an inquisitory look to the dwarf. "I… I thought Vancaskerkin was going to be our manager."

Leo shook his head and interjected before Larur could speak. "Vancaskerkin is only the front of the Gold Goblin, he does all the boring paperwork and behind the scenes jobs. Larur here is the important one that runs everything else."

The dwarf nodded and punched Leo in the arm. "Like I was gonna say before that overeager son 'f a dretch interrupted, I'm gonna be tha one who'll be helping and monitoring ya as ya work your jobs. Vancaskerkin told me about your real purpose in the Gold Goblin, so he's gonna be tha one taking care of that sort of business." Nathan didn't like the way the dwarf said 'that sort of business.' It made it seem… sinister.

But he did give an inwards sigh of relief. It wasn't that he was happy that Vancaskerkin wouldn't be his main manager. It was just that, in his mind, seeing less of the former crimelord was better than seeing more. And Larur seemed to be friendly enough, apparently quite chummy with Leo even after only a morning of knowing the upbeat cleric. Maybe he'd have another new companion by the end of the day.

"Now y' two are gonna be needin' jobs if you're workin' here!" The dwarf gave a pause and scratched his chin in a thoughtful gesture. "Hmm… well ta start off, I think I'm gonna have ya two be door greeters…"

Complete silence reigned over the two young men.

…_Is he being serious?!_ Nathan was most definitely expecting a more… exciting job than being a door greeter. Even a little kid could do something like that. _At parties, children usually do just that_! An annoyed glance towards Leo revealed that he wasn't the only one here unsatisfied with their new posts.

At the pair's blank expressions Larur continued, entirely missing the reason behind their incredulous faces. "Y'know! Tha people who give out info about tha events in tha Gold Goblin, and a list of times n' stuff like that! Not ta mention givin' guests a warm welcome inta the building an'-"

Leo cut him off before the dwarf could finish what other mundane things they'd be doing. "C'mon Larur, don't stick us with a lousy job like that… I mean, smiling at strangers and giving them things to read?! Really?"

The cleric's spoken thoughts mirrored those of Nathan's. So, he decided to stay out of trying to persuade Larur to change their jobs. He knew he wouldn't be much of a help in that department. Not to mention he'd probably just muck up the situation further with _his_ verbal skills.

Larur shook his head, as if the two missed the point completely. "No, no, no, ya don't understand. Ya're in a low-key job for a reason, ya couple o' dummies! When workin' for Vancaskerkin, being in a unassumin' job is important, people look right over ya. They won't recognize ya if there's been past conflicts between ya, who could be just about anybody, depending on what Vancaskerkin asks ya ta do. Sometimes henchies from other crimelords come ta play here, and if ya've attacked them before, and they see ya, there could be trouble."

It sounded sensible, and even smart. But there was one big problem in Larur's thinking. "But… if we're in the front area… just being door greeters won't protect us. They _all_ can't look over us. It's not like we're invisible… we can still be attacked."

The dwarf just grinned, throwing his hands into the air. "Exactly! No one 'll suspect that two innocent employee's did anything wrong, and if he gives ya any trouble, the guy'll get kicked out. But from what I've heard.... he might be dead before I get there." Larur gave a knowing look two both of them. _So he's heard of our bravery yesterday. Or should I say; Leo's bravery…_

"Not ta mention you two'll have a scope of every guy n' gal who comes in, so ya two are kinda scouts in a way too. If ya see anyone that shouldn't be here, just tell me or Vancaskerkin." Nathan felt a bit better about his position after hearing Larur out. It was more in-depth than he had thought, and it was a good cover for their future operations under Vancaskerkin.

"Now ya'll be startin' tomorrow, an' ya-" The dwarf's instructions were abruptly shortened by a frenzied cook running into the room from kitchen doors on the left, panting heavily and obviously frightened. He ran up to Larur and collapsed to the ground, taking gasping breaths of air. "There's… you… need… there's a snake… in the kitchen! It bit the head chef!" Seemingly on cue, a woman's terrified scream pierced the stunned silence seconds after the cook's warning.

Before he knew what was happening, Nathan found himself running after Leo. The cleric had bolted towards the kitchen doors less than a second after the shriek reached their ears. _He's unbelievably fast… and he jumped to the task without even knowing what the problem was. Just who is this guy?_ Somewhat disoriented, Nathan burst through the double swinging doors immediately after Leo, and stopped just as fast at the scene before him.

A girl with red hair lay on the kitchen floor in a small pool of her own scarlet blood. Nathan realized with a shock she was Valentia, the woman from Vancaskerkin's office the day before. She was weakly moaning, her eyes closed tight and her body unmoving. A huge, red snake was coiled and perched on top of the girl's body, reptilian eyes glaring at somehow both him and Leo at the same time. Nathan broke his gaze long enough to see that the kitchen had been evacuated, but returned it as soon as the snake gave a loud hiss.

No one came through the doors behind them to help, but that was probably for the best. A loud noise or sudden movement might give the snake enough cause to attack, and that was not needed at the moment. Especially with the fact that they were both only a good three feet in front of the ruby snake.

"Nathan," Leo whispered, obviously trying hard not to move, "…I left my swords in my room… do you have anything I can use to get that thing off her?"

Heart feeling like it was about to beat out of his chest with fear, Nathan swallowed and shook his head. His adrenaline soaked brain had quickly thought of the vials of acid he now owned, but it would have splashed on Valentia as well if he threw them. He didn't have any of the bottles on him anyways; they were all up in the sack sitting in his room.

The cleric let out a tiny sigh and nodded slowly. "Alright… gonna have to do this the old fashioned way…" Before Nathan could quietly ask what exactly that entailed, Leo lowered himself down a few inches to level with the swaying and hissing reptile then stopped.

A few tense moments passed, and then the man darted forward and lashed out with his arm, the snake's gaping maw moving equally fast towards the fist. There was a distinct crack and a sharp intake of breath from Leo, and the red snake fell unmoving to the floor.

Nathan stood frozen to the spot as he tried to comprehend what just happened. This cleric… he had rushed towards a snake as big as a child, bare handedly even, and beat it into submission without even a slightest sign of hesitation. He couldn't help but think to himself… was that bravery… or stupidity?

Taking a shaky step forward, Leo knelt to the ground and put his hands over the girl, mumbling quietly in the same musical timbre that he had spoken in when he was working on Nathan's shoulder. His hands began to glow with a soft, golden light, and the Valentia's eyes finally fluttered open. Slowly moving closer, Nathan could see two large puncture marks on the girl's wrist, clearly from a pair of reptilian fangs, and in a matter of seconds they closed up without leaving a mark on her pale skin.

"Wha… where am I?" She looked up at Leo, and then down to the dead snake, her eyes widening. "You… you saved me?"

Leo laughed quietly as Valentia sat up. "I would hardly say 'saved', all I did was punch some snake in its face."

The girl slowly shook her head in protest. "But you… you healed me, I could feel it!"

"That wasn't me. That was Cayden Cailean who was healed you. It was him who saved you, not me."

Clearly confused, Valentia shrugged and leapt towards Leo, giving him a big hug. "Well whoever saved me; you obviously played a part in it. So thank you Leo, for helping save my life."

Leo hugged the girl back, smiling warmly. "It was no problem, miss! No problem at all."

Nathan looked down and away, feeling awkward and a slight bit jealous. He knew he hadn't done anything in the fight and shouldn't be feeling this way. But it was hard, seeing warm moments like this. He had his rule about not getting close to people. He considered Petunia back at the shop his closest friend, but the middle-aged woman was really only his business partner.

He hadn't gotten close enough to someone to be able to just simply hug them like Leo and Valentia were doing for a long, long time. Ever since that single, horrible incident all those years ago…

Nathan had at first thought Leo was especially nice to him because he liked the apprentice alchemist, but the more people that they met, the more Nathan was realizing the cleric was nice to everyone. And nobody could like everyone, everywhere. An ugly thought wormed its way into Nathan's mind, both distressing and upsetting to the apprentice alchemist . Did Leo just fake niceness to some people, to the ones he didn't like? Could… was there the possibility he could be faking to Nathan?

Ignoring the boulder that promptly dropped into Nathan's stomach after that thought was difficult, but possible. After all, he wasn't friends with Leo, he wasn't close with him… and so it didn't really matter did it? Of course it didn't, because he wasn't getting closer to Vancaskerkin or Larur either. And he most definitely didn't feel the need to reassure the girl in front of him…

Only one thought settled in Nathan's mind after that. _I'm such a liar._

Lost in his thoughts, Nathan didn't realize that Leo had gotten up with Valentia until the man tapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Nathan. Don't you think there's something a little weird about this? Snakes as big as this," he gestured to the dead reptile lying on the floor, "don't just appear in kitchens at random. And after what happened yesterday?"

Nathan quickly came to the same conclusion as Leo. "It's definitely not a coincidence. Someone must have done this." Snakes weren't rare in the land around Riddleport, even ones as big as the one dead on the kitchen floor. They could easily be found in the surrounding forests and marshlands. But inside the city? That was next to impossible… unless someone had brought this one in from the surrounding wilds.

The pair turning to Valentia, Leo gave the girl a wary glance. "Did you see anyone come in here earlier? Anyone suspicious?"

She shook her head. "No, no one like that. It was just me and the other cooks. We were getting ready for today and one of the workers spotted the snake under the main oven. I went over to tell them it was nonsense and to get back to work, but it lashed out at me as I bent over to look for it. Next thing I knew…" She looked towards the cleric, clearly a bit bashful. "You were there."

Nathan looked away from the two, uncomfortable at the girl's affection towards Leo. Why? He had no idea. All he knew was that he was starting to dislike the woman's growing fondness of the cleric who had saved her.

Leo ignored her fervent stare, and turned to the apprentice alchemist. "It came from under the oven. Why don't we go and take a look?" Nodding, Nathan followed the cleric to the middle of the kitchen, but stopped a foot or two before the machine at a sudden thought. _There still might be more of those snakes under there._

Noticing Nathan's apprehension, Leo reached up and grabbed his arm, pulling him down closer with a laugh. "Don't worry, if there's any more of those snakes, I won't let them getcha." The man gave Nathan a wink at the end of his sentence, one that only served to unsettle him more. A cold, but somewhat pleasant feeling washed through his body at the tone of the other man's voice.

The apprentice alchemist couldn't deny that he wanted to be friends with the cleric, but every time Leo did something nice for Nathan, his body would do something unexpected and somewhat unpleasant. His stomach would clench up tightly, his limbs would start to feel like gelatin, or his heart would begin beating uncomfortably fast. Was his very body trying to warn him about being friends with Leo?

Pushing his worried thoughts away, Nathan looked closer under the oven with the cleric. There wasn't anything there… except a small scrap of paper that looked out of place amongst the layer of dust covering the ground. "See? Told you! No snakes to be found. But this right here…" Leo reached in and grabbed the piece of paper, pulling it out from underneath the kitchen appliance and out into the open. Nathan and Valentia moved forward to see better as he unfolded the crumpled ball.

Drawn in a dark red substance, was a crude picture of a short, fat man with a hand missing. The other hand was a stump with a key attached to it. In small, scribbled words at the bottom of the paper was a message in the same maroon ink, one that said, "Looking to go two for two, Saul? Pack up, get out of town, and you'll be fine!" It was clear that the picture was of Vancaskerkin; and the message an apparent threat against him. Seemed the older man's fear that he was being targeted by someone was right on the dot.

Valentia backed up, her face ashen. "Someone's threatening Uncle Saul? I- I need to go warn him! I'm sorry!" With that said; the girl took off out of the kitchen and into the main room, greeted by what sounded like a chorus of questions and relieved exclamations. Nathan wondered if Vancaskerkin was there as well. He hadn't known that Valentia was the former crimelord's niece, but he supposed it wasn't surprising. Everyone had family.

"So Vancaskerkin was right. Someone really is trying to get him out of Riddleport. And they aren't going about it gently either." Leo was still staring at the picture, his face a twisted contortion of concern and wonder.

Nathan could now see that on the cleric's right hand there were two puncture marks, much what like the girl's arm had earlier. The hand was clenched tightly, evidently in pain. Had Leo been hiding his injury to stop them from knowing about it, and therefore worrying over it? Nathan kept silent, and decided not to bring the issue up.

Brave? Or stupid? _Definitely brave. Definitely._

Stepping back, Nathan clasped his hands together, testing the waters. "So… based on that note… I'm guessing its gonna get a lot more dangerous from here on out, right?" Leo nodded, and the apprentice alchemist's heart sank. He didn't think he was ready for that degree of action just yet.

The cleric must have noticed his anxious expression. "But don't worry, Nathan." Leo was staring straight at Nathan, his eyes giving him a piercing yet somehow incredibly soft gaze. "Remember what I said before? I won't let anybody getcha."

Nathan's head whipped up faster than the snake's had moved just minutes earlier. He was surprised at the intimate tone of the statement, and at the way it made his body feel like it had been thrown into an ice cold lake. But yet again… the feeling was cold in a good way. _What? Why would he say something like that?_

Leo's expression turned to embarrassment as he quickly looked away and amended what he had said. "I mean… you're a bit inexperienced, and so I'll make sure you aren't injured if anything violent happens. Ya know. …Well, I'm gonna go check up with Vancaskerkin, so I'll catch you later?"

Without waiting for an answer, the cleric hurriedly departed the kitchen, leaving Nathan alone with his thoughts. He didn't know why… but Nathan felt like crying. Something had stirred deep of inside him when Leo had looked at him and said what he'd said. Then it felt like he was punched in the gut as the cleric clarified and made a hasty exit.

Why? Why was this one person making him feel like this? Wiping his eyes, Nathan gave an attempt to compose himself. He hadn't had any truly 'real' interactions with most people in years… and so the first one who was attempting to be friends with him was the one he was latching onto. It was logical. It made sense. His most likely awestruck facial expression had probably unsettled Leo for now, but Nathan was determined not to do something like that again.

Walking towards the doors leading into the main room of the Gold Goblin, Nathan steeled himself for the barrage of questions that were surely to come. He was slowly being drawn into things he had no idea how to get through, or how to handle. The criminals, the violence, and also Leo…

Though even through all that, Nathan had a small, but strong, feeling in his heart that he'd be okay. Something that said no matter what happened; he'd make it through alright in the end. Smiling, Nathan pushed open the swinging doors and made his way into the milling crowd of questioning employees.


	6. Church Of Cayden Cailean

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Pathfinder franchise, which I will borrowing from heavily during this story, any coincedence from a character to a person in real life is not intentional, etc, etc...

**Claimer: **But I do own sexy!Nathan/Leo and these stories, so you can't have them. ;D

**Warning:** This'll be good 'ol boy on boy fiction, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, plz leave kthxbai. Also there'll be much slaughtering of fat guys, wererats, and bad drow ladies so if violence/death isn't your cup of tea, again, plz leave kthxbai. And heed the fic rating as well. Finally getting close to some slashy-type stuff! :D

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**The Church of Cayden Cailean**

_**Chapter 6**_

After the incident with the snake, there were no further uprisings in the Gold Goblin for the next few weeks. Apart, of course, from the occasional drunken brawl that Nathan and Leo would have to break up. Nathan was one person in particular who was happy about the lack of criminal assaults on the establishment. Still worried about the possibility of an overly dangerous enemy coming in the future, he happily settled for the much weaker drunkards.

Sensing the apprentice alchemist's apprehension after the kitchen fiasco, Leo had begun to teach Nathan how to fight each night after their daily shifts. Or perhaps 'attempted' to teach Nathan how to fight was a better way of putting it.

It wasn't that Nathan was unskilled; Leo said that Nathan was surprisingly agile for someone as inexperienced as he was in the art of combat. After practicing with swords, maces, axes, daggers, bows, crossbows, and every other weapon they could think of, they settled on throwing weapons. Which according to the cleric, Nathan seemed to have an uncanny aptitude for.

Nathan could only think back sadly to Thuvalia along with her cronies, and their unfortunate fate that resulted because of that unusual talent of his.

His problem with fighting was his morality. Every time he sparred with Leo, or another voluntary employee at the Gold Goblin, he'd look into their eyes, and the illusion of fighting an opponent would vanish. It was replaced with a real person, a real person who had people who cared about what happened to them. Guilt would wash over him, and Nathan would drop his weapon. This exasperated and confused his sparring partners to no end.

All of his sparring partners except Leo.

The cleric would give him a sad, understanding smile and call off the fight, oftentimes to the onlookers' voracious disapproval. Leo would clap him on the back and tell him he did a good job, and that they'd try again tomorrow. Sometimes he'd also say something that Nathan couldn't make sense of, but even after repeated inquiry he wouldn't tell the apprentice alchemist what he meant by it.

"Maybe tomorrow you'll understand, Nathan."

Understand what? The cleric never gave any clues to what he meant, and Nathan many a night went to bed wondering what the other man was trying to get him to comprehend. He didn't think Leo was trying to be difficult or anything of that sort. After his somewhat awkward exit out the kitchen a couple weeks prior, Leo had been acting normally towards Nathan. He enjoyed the cleric's company, and cherished the time they shared together.

As much as he didn't like it, he and Leo had become good friends. Leo seemed to be endlessly amused by Nathan's quiet, often uncoordinated behavior, and the cleric's uproarious antics left Nathan in laugh-induced tears most hours of the day. They had become close, and were seen most of the time in each other's company.

He had talked to Petunia about his situation, concerning both his lack of fighting heart and his reluctance to become good friends with Leo. Her reply was to the point...

_"Nathan, you're a good boy. I've never seen you lose your temper or say something mean to someone else. You don't get angry or violent on command. It's just not your nature to fight without an appropriate cause. I bet if and when you find your reason to take up arms, you'll be as fearsome a warrior as anyone has ever seen," adding the last part with a good-natured wink._

_Nathan could understand that. When he was sparring he was just doing it because he thought it might prepare him better for the future. It was mostly Leo's idea to practice, not his. And while fighting to protect the Gold Goblin was a cause, he didn't feel any permanent ties to the place yet. He was protecting the establishment because he said he would, and because he was getting paid for it. Not out of the goodness in his heart. _As horrible as that sounds_, Nathan thought silently to himself._

_"And for this Leo character… I understand your reluctance, and your reasons behind it. But it's been years Nathan, eleven years since you've had a friend. I think…. It might do you some good if you had someone to talk to, to be friends with." Petunia tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear to keep it from falling in front of her face, her gaze warm and caring. The woman was feeling less and less like a friendly mentor as the days passed; she was becoming more and more like a pleasant mother in Nathan's eyes._

_"But Petunia. If he goes… like they did… I don't think I could handle it." She was the only person who he had told about his past, during one cold night years ago when he was feeling particularly helpless and she feeling particularly ready to listen._

_Nodding, the middle-aged woman looked remorseful. "What happened to your parents was a rare occurrence Nathan… things like that don't happen everyday. The risk of it happening again, to you again; is completely miniscule."_

He had agreed with her, not truly feeling convinced of her point, but not wanting to be argumentative. He supposed she was right... but it still didn't change his views about the whole situation.

And so here he was, relaxing in his room one sunny morning. Or at least, as sunny as it could get with that blot hanging over the city like an ominous cloud. The cyphermages still couldn't figure out the cause of it, but as far as they knew, it was still completely harmless. Just a nuisance to some, and a figure of wonder for others. Nathan personally didn't care one bit about the blot over the town. The city was dark enough anyways. Both literally and figuratively.

He had the vials of acid Vancaskerkin gave him out on the desk, lined up in a row on the wood, each bottle up against the wall. They were a sickly green color, the color of olives mixed limes. The fluid was milky, a trace of silver gracing the sides of the glass container occasionally when moved. Nathan hadn't asked Vancaskerkin why he had needed the substance in the first place, and wasn't about to ask. He had talked with the man sparingly over his stay at the Gold Goblin, wanting to interact with Vancaskerkin as little as possible. Larur the floor manager had been the one he conversed with the most. Besides Leo of course.

There was a knock at his door, and Nathan looked up, an expression of surprise on his face. No one ever came to get him while he was in his room. Not in the entire time he had been staying at the Gold Goblin. Ever. It had been his safe place, his sanctuary, to think and ponder about the new chain of events in his life. Pushing back from his desk, Nathan stood up and walked over to the door to open it.

All irritation washed away at the welcome sight before him.

"Hey, Nathan. You doing anything right now?" The apprentice alchemist shook his head; whenever Leo asked him to hang out, he always suddenly had nothing to do.

"No… I've got today off. I'm guessing you do too?" The other man nodded happily. "How come you asked?"

The cleric broke out into a wide smile. "'Cause, well, I've got to go over to the Publican House to report in to my superior. I haven't for weeks. High Publican Rolf is probably furious at me." Nathan pretended to understand what the name of the place and Rolf's title meant. _Probably something relating to his faith?_

"Anyways, I was wondering if you'd like to come too. I was going to get a drink after I finished business, so I can get you one too. It'll be on the house."

Trying to ignore the uncomfortable-yet-comfortable feeling in his stomach, Nathan smiled and nodded. "Sure Leo, I'd love to."

The cleric was beaming. "Awesome, you ever been there before? It's a good place to have some fun with friends; it's a lot less like a church than a lot of people think." So the publican house was Riddleport's church to Cayden Cailean? Trying to wrap his head around the odd concept, Nathan followed Leo as he led him out of his room, down the stairs, and out of the Gold Goblin.

Sure enough, the blot lay heavy and low in the late morning sky. As they walked down the street, Leo stared up at it, and then turned his head to Nathan. "Do you ever get a weird feeling about that thing? It's just so… gloomy looking."

"No, I think I'm maybe just getting used to it. The cyphermages seem to think it's alright."

Leo didn't look convinced. "Yeah… but, I don't know. It's just weird. I heard one old wizard flew up there to find out what it was like, and ended up reporting back saying that it just felt really cold. Like an ordinary cloud, but incredibly freezing. I mean, why is it there? Why would someone put it there? Is it just some kind of crazy magical accident?"

He was voicing Nathan's thoughts for the past couple weeks on the subject almost word for word. "I don't know Leo, no one knows. I guess we'll all find out eventually." He hoped that when the time did come, it wasn't a dangerous 'eventually.' The cyphermages didn't seem to think so, and they were the experts on the scene.

The pair were silent the rest of the way until they reached the publican house, a large hanging sign with a large mug emblazoned on it, the wooden plank swinging slightly in the wind. The church itself was in decent condition, painted a warm brown color with maroon hued window panes. It seemed like a homely place, the wood well-preserved and the paint lovingly applied. Nathan could almost feel a... sort of aura coming from the building, as if it exuded a sense of well-being and welcome.

Maybe it was just his mind creating something where there really wasn't, based on his expectations. But one couldn't be so sure of such things when it came to the divine.

"Well, we better get on with it. I'm not looking forward to talking with High Publican Rolf, but I gotta one way or the other. No use in stalling, right?" With a pained expression, Leo opened the caramel-colored door and walked inside, Nathan following close behind.

Nathan was assaulted right away by the strong scent of pumpkin spice and ale, the delightful combination threatening to knock him off his feet that very second. After he regained his balance, Nathan took in the sights around him. Which was not what he was expecting at all.

The church was a tavern. There were no pews, no winding aisle that led to an altar. Instead there was a bar against the far wall, kegs propped up on the back counter and a rough-looking bartender serving drinks to several equally rough-looking customers. The room was filled with what Nathan estimated were a good ten, fifteen people, all laughing merrily and listening to a man to the side playing an upbeat tune on a mandolin.

It was hard to take in at first. Had his good-natured friend truly taken him to his place of faith? He knew Cayden Cailean was the patron deity of freedom, bravery, and alcohol, but would his followers really congregate in such a place?

But as Nathan silently scoured the scene, he saw subtle signs here and there that it truly was a church. For one, all the kegs had the unorthodox god's symbol branded onto their sides. Another clue was the golden and brass colored medallions most of the laughing people wore around their necks. One or two even wore a simple looking, brown robe with a maroon stitching of the mug on their chests. It was definitely a location touched by Cayden Cailean.

Leo just took a deep breath, inhaling the rich smell around them. A smile lit up across his face, a different one than he usually wore, Nathan noticed. It seemed like he was finally at peace, his seemingly boundless reserves of energy finally calmed. It looked like he was finally home.

Nathan smiled at the thought. Even as stressed as the other man must be, with the impending encounter with High Publican Rolf in the near future, Leo was completely and totally at rest. This was his home, not the Gold Goblin as it had begun to seem to Nathan. He found himself wrestling with a profound want, an urge to know the stories that Leo had heard in this place, and what stories had sprung up because of his role as a cleric here.

Leo broke his introspection by placing a hand on Nathan's shoulder and speaking in his deep voice. "Shall we?" He began walking towards a door placed behind the bar's counter, nodding curtly at the bartender. The rough-looking man gave an excited yell and slammed his fist on the counter hard enough to shake the glasses resting on top of it.

"Leo Haywold?! Well, I'll be, I was beginning to think you'd never come back!"

The cleric only chuckled and shook his head. "So was I Benjamin, so was I. Thought it would be nice to visit and let everyone know I'm not dead just yet."

Benjamin laughed loudly, the boisterous sound rolling up from what seemed the bottom of his feet and gaining in strength until it blasted out of his mouth. "And that in itself is a wonder, Leo! You get yourself into more trouble sometimes than a kitten waltzing into a kennel of attack dogs!"

Nathan only stared at the exchange between the two men. Apparently they knew each other well, the lighthearted teasing seemed to prove as much.

Leo nodded, grinning. "That's true, my friend. Though, the same could be said of yourself!" Benjamin just shrugged, still snickering to himself. "Is High Publican Rolf around? I need to report in to him, we haven't talked for ages."

Raising his big hands to wipe tears from his eyes, Benjamin nodded and pointed towards the door that Leo had been headed towards. "Yep, he's in there. Goin' over some documents and stuff for the house. We're getting low on the ale I guess."

The big man seemed to notice Nathan for the first time, his eyes moving past Leo and onto him. "And who do we got here?"

Leo stepped to the side and pushed Nathan forward, the latter stumbling a bit in the process. "This is my friend Nathan; we're working together at the Gold Goblin. He's a bit shy, but he gets over it soon enough."

Red rushed into Nathan's cheeks at the comment, causing him to fluster and stutter his greeting. "Oh- I- uh- h-hello Benjamin, it's nice to meet you. I'm N-Nathan, like Leo said." He clenched his fists, cursing his ever present inability to act normally in most social situations.

Benjamin nodded slowly, obviously trying to stifle a laugh at Nathan's nervousness. "Good to meet you too Nathan. I'm surprised you're still alive, that being with Leo's shenanigans and all." What was he talking about? Leo never played any dangerous tricks or anything of the sort during their stay at the Gold Goblin.

Leo grabbed Nathan's arm, and pulled him towards the door. "Oh, I've been on good behavior for this particular job Ben. But I'm afraid I'm going to have to cut this reunion short. Every minute spent away from the High Publican will only make things more difficult. Knowing him, he probably somehow knows I'm here by now."

"Go ahead Leo, I'm sure we'll have time enough afterwards to catch up. I'd do the same in your place. Ol' Rolfie isn't the warmest man on Golarion, huh?" So Leo's superior was grumpy. Wonderful.

"Thanks for understanding, friend." Benjamin gave a warm smile in response, and turned to watch the performance put on by the bard in the corner. The tall man was now playing a softer song, his words less bouncy and more emotional. The people were no longer laughing in response to the music; they were now listening intently and carefully to the words.

But before he could try and listen himself, he and Leo entered the door in the back wall. Nathan found himself in a small, cramped space littered with shelves and desks full of papers. At the end of the room, if the small space could even be called a room, there was a large man seated at a desk, head bent over the papers. He was bald, but had a long, grizzly beard that seemed to make up for that particular absence of hair.

The man looked up, his beady eyes scrunched together at the sight of Leo. "Hmph. Leo Haywold. You're late."

At the defeated sag in Leo's shoulders and his exaggerated sigh, Nathan could tell that things weren't going to go too well.

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**A/N:** So I decided I'm gonna start doing one of these at the bottom of the page. This chapter was originally a lot longer. ...A bit too long, so I had to cut it off here to make it a more appropriate length. Good thing is that means the next chapter will be up soon cause I've got some of it written already. :D

Also, a new character will be entering the group soon, some people will grow to like her, some people will grow to hate her, and most will just eventually feel sorry for her. :[

I liked describing Leo's church in this chapter! I chose Cayden Cailean as his deity because it seemed to fit his personality, and a battle-cleric would fit in well with this god's clergy. It's working out well, such an unorthodox god for a cleric is entertaining to write about.

Comments/reviews help me keep motivated, which is a definite problem of mine considering how long this story's been online! Over a year and only six chapters?! BAD AUTHOR.

And lastly! I'm looking for a beta, so if anyone is interested.... ;D wonderfulness shall ensue.


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